Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-05-06
PRISON L,e- ~ SIBERIA.



subject being "Seven Years in Siberia"
The Professor is a nervous little man,
with swapping black eyes and long
black hair falling over his collar. He
wears unrimmed spectacles and also
fierce-looking mustache and gaotee,
and is altogether parsonage of rather
striking appearance. For the last two
years he has been lecturing to German
audiences in America Mr.. Bachrach
tells an eventful story OF his career.
He was exiled from his native land for
political reasons soon after the Hunga-
rian revolution of 1913. and from 1853
1860 he was found fighting under Gar
ibaldi for Italian freedom. In 1862. as
result of policy of Napoleon Ill.
the Hungarian and Polish legion, of
which Bachrach was an officer, was
transferred form Italy 10 Russian Po-
land, then just beginning to experience
the throes of a bloody revolution. In
1864 Bachrach was captured by the
Russians and sentenced rs revolu-
zionist, TO serve twenty years in the
Siberian mines of Yatkutsk. He was
freed by the amnesty of 1871. The
history of the seven years intervening
forms the substance of his lecture,
brief summary of which is given in the
following paragraphs:
With 260 others the lecturer was first
sent to Mini n ovgorod, where they
were embarked on a large barge on the
river Nolkhov. Conv lets of whatever
class. age. or sex, were huddled indis-
criminately together. and were for the
first time clad in the parti -colored grab
of the Siberian prisoner The daily ra-
tons to each convict cons sted of one
pound of bread. some barley-meal and
a small quantity of tea-hardly enough
to sustain lite. At Pernau the convicts
were disembarked. and the rest of the
journey was performed on foot. For
eighteen weary months the exiles
tramped over an ext ent of territory rs
large as the United States bcfo re reach
ing their destination. The y were shack
led together in gangs of fifty, and each
convict was given daily sum of mon
ey equal to three cents, to buy food OF
the peasants about the stations at
which the party stopped each night. OF
this munifcent amount one cent usually
went for meagre supply of potato
soup, one cent for bread, and the re-
naming cent for the indispensable tea.
If one of the prisoners fell sick during
the day he was carried to the next sta
ton, where he was left to die or recoy-
err, as the case might be, without medi-
cal assistance.
When he arrived at Ir kutsk, Bachrach
met his first friend in Siberia in the
person of Russian colonel to whose
advice he was much indebted for his
ultimate release. After brief tarry
in Irkutsk the convicts destined to the
mines, including the unfortunate Hun
garian. were sent on to 1akutsk,
where the gold. silver and lead mines
begin. These mines are from 80 to
25O feet deep. and the convicts are
forced TO work in them eight hours
each day and every day, except on
certain days. when they are allowed to
wash their clothes Down in the
bowels of the earth the darkness is in
tense. and the only light the miners
have 10 aid them in their laborious
task-and the work is cruelty hard is
emitted from small lamps attached to
their hats. The miners are usually
quartered in a low stone building at
the entrance to the mine, and are
closely guarded at all times. About
fifty generally sleep in one cell. No
mine more than a week together, and
by this system of constant interchange
familiar intercourse or friendship be-
tween the wretched prisoners is pre-
vented. For the slightest infracton
of the rules the miners are severely
dashed, death sometimes ensuing. If
they are sick or injured in any way, Mr..
Bachrach asserted. no medical attend
ance is provided. but, incredible as it
may seem. the poor wretches are
quietly poisoned to get them out of
the way.
After a year of life in the mines the
lecturer was discharged AMI sent to
Irkutska, where, after some trouble
caused by charge made against him of
attempted escape to China, he was
placed in higher class of convicts 49,
those who have the privilege of selecting
their place of abode as settlers. within
certain prescribed district. Bachrach
chose a villege of fourteen houses.
where his first employment was as a
farm laborer for a peasant named Gulai.
Soon after a meeting OF the village
commune, the Hungarian was given
permission TO select lot and build
house, but he did not do so for some
time. lie labored steadily for his peas